Character from The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
An ancient woman imprisoned in the stone mountain — mad, prophetic, and holding knowledge about the Pantheon, the Trifecta, and the true history of shamanism that the Empire has spent centuries trying to bury.
Niang Niang is one of the trilogy's keeper characters — she holds critical knowledge about the Pantheon, the Trifecta (Daji, Riga, and Tearza), and the true history of shamanism that has been suppressed by the Empire's ruling powers. She's ancient, probably a shaman herself, and her madness may be an act, a consequence of Pantheon exposure, or both. Rin encounters her beneath Sinegard and receives cryptic guidance that becomes clearer and more terrible as the trilogy progresses. Niang Niang's role is to deliver truths that no one wants to hear — about the gods, about power, about what happens to people who think they can control the uncontrollable.
Ancient beyond reckoning — a tiny, wizened woman who looks like she should have died decades ago. Wild white hair, milky eyes, and a cackling energy that makes her seem both harmless and deeply unsettling. She lives in the stone caves beneath Sinegard and speaks in riddles, prophecies, and uncomfortable truths.
Also known as: Niang Niang, The Old Woman